Everything GoogleBrooke Hall

Getting started with Google Drive....

Allows you to store files online and access them anywhere using the cloud. Drive also gives you access to free web-based applications for creating documents, spreadsheets, and more. Drive eliminates the need to email or save a file to a USB drive. Drive also allows you to share files, working with others becomes much easier.

Tutorial for Google Drive

Ever used Microsoft Office Programs??

Some of the Google Drive apps might be familiar. These are some of the types of files you can create and share on Google Drive:

IF you are uploading files you plan to edit online, you will need to convert them to Google Drive format. Converting allows you to edit a file and collaborate with others easily.

Remember - Conversion isn't always perfect, always review a file that's been converted to Google Drive before you share with others. However, you always have the option to store your files in their original file format if you'd prefer not to edit files online.

Google Docs

Share & Collaborate: Click the blue “Share” button in the top right corner and input the email addresses for those you want to collaborate with (add a message if you would like), select if you want them to be able to “edit,” “comment,” or “view” and click send! If you give someone editing privileges, then you can collaborate with them on a document in real time (up to 50 people can edit a document at once)

Comment & Suggest Edits: To add a comment, highlight the word or section you would like to change and press the “comment” button. This will open a comment window where you can type and leave directions or feedback - ALSO - Another great tool is “suggested edits.” By using “suggested edits” you can make changes to the document that others can either “accept” or “decline.” It’s a great way to keep one another up to date with edits especially if you are building a collaborative document.

Revision History: If you are collaborating on a text with another, you can use this feature to see what changes they have made and restore an earlier version of the document if necessary. I like to use it with my students so that I can observe the evolution of their writing. Teachers love this feature. Revision history also can show a teacher whether or not the student is actually making changes to their work. Additionally, it can be reaffirming for a student to witness the progress of their work so that they can see how far they have come over the course of a project.

Add-Ons: Google releases suites of “Add-ons.” These Google Doc specific extensions have allowed educators to unleash more powerful features within Google Docs and Sheets. To find and apply Add-ons, simply open a document and select “Add-ons” from the menu. You can then browse the suite of available tools and apply those that you want. Some of my favorite Add-ons are EasyBib (for creating bibliographies), Google Translate, and Kaizena (for leaving Voice Comments). You can also find third party apps such as Lucid Charts to create diagrams and mind-maps that you then directly drop into your document. More Add-ons are added daily.

Leave Voice Comments: Sometimes written comments are not enough. Fortunately, Google allows you to leave voice comments with third-party applications. One of my favorite is Kaizena. With this free tool, you can leave voice comments throughout a document just like you can with traditional text comments. To see Kaizena in action, check out their brief tutorial here.

Research Tools: Google will allow you to do research right within the document! With the Research window pane, you can perform a basic Google search, search images, access Google Scholar, find quotes, and look up words in the dictionary. You can even search by usage rights (key when teaching students about copyright and licensing). When you put content from the research pane into your document, it will even include the citation with a footnote at the bottom of your page in the format that you choose (MLA, Chicago, etc). It is a great tool for academics.

Image Editing: Google Docs now allows you to edit images within a document. If you want to include an image in your Google Doc, you can position it by dragging and dropping, wrap text, resize, crop, and change the border.

Insert Special Characters: Google Docs has a robust library of special characters, accented letters, and different alphabets. You can use the “Insert Special Characters” feature while you type. Simply go to “Insert” and then “Special Characters” (right next to the Ω symbol). You can browse symbols by alphabet, purpose (math, technical, copyright), and more. Their library is vast, and they are updating it constantly. If you need to insert a mathematical formula, check out Insert → Equation to access easy tools for creating sophisticated mathematical formulas.

Download As: If you want to save your Google Doc in another format (such as a Word document), the “download as” feature is your friend! This will allow you to access and edit content on different machines or to send it to others. I often download my Google Docs as PDFs to post on my class website or as memos to distribute on email lists.

Email as Attachment: If you want to share your Google Doc with someone who doesn’t have a Google account, then you can do this with the “email as attachment” feature. Go to File → Email as Attachment. This will bring up a window that will allow you to select the format in which you would like to send your document (PDF, Word, etc) as well as a space for you to write a message. The document will come from your email address jus tas if you sent it from GMail or Outlook.

Lesson Plans:

Use Google Docs to work on the same lesson plan at the same time with a colleague

Meeting Notes:

Keep a running record of meeting notes in Google Docs and share the notes with your entire staff

Improve the writing process:

Have students work collaboratively from anywhere - Give students ongoing and simultaneous feedback. Use revision history to hold students accountable for their work

Set up a peer review system:

Give students responsibility for providing feedback on other student's work. Students can easily tag each other in comments.

Research while writing a document:

Highlight the text you want to research

Navigate to "Tools" and click "Research"

Check out the right side-bar for search results

Google Slides

Power Point, Keynote (Apple version), SlideShare, Animoto, VUVOX, Knovio, etc.. There are many programs and sites that allow you to create presentations. However, many teachers use Google Slides as their tool of choice when working with students.

Why Google Slides vs. Power Point or Keynote?

Work on slide deck from home or school (IF internet access)

Multiple students can collaborate & create different slides at the same time

Less styling & animations means more time focused on content. Add image by URL or use built in Google Search

Download slides into PowerPoint or Keynote if need more features at the end

Create Amazing Presentations:

Use Slides to create engaging and dynamic presentations

Students design flipped classroom lesson:

Students record their presentations and upload them to a YouTube channel or share with teacher/class

Write Book/Paper:

Combining text and media, this is a great way to motivate creative, narrative writing

Crowdsource Info as a Class:

Ask each student to contribute to a class presentation. Assign one slide to each member of the class and have each student research and design a slide.

Make students the experts:

Give collaborative groups a topic to research collectively using a shared Google doc, then ask them to use their research to create a comprehensive presentation to present to the class

Google Sheets

What is Google Sheets?

Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet app that lets you create and format spreadsheets and simultaneously work with other people. Here's what you can do with Google Sheets:

Google Sheets = Excel

If you have ever used Microsoft Excel - Google Sheets will be very similar

Professionally Designed Templates to use in Google Docs and Sheets - Google Add-On

Give Google Sheets A Try

Create Sign up Sheets and share with parents - Parents can comment and give info

Google Forms

What is Google Forms?

You can plan events, make a survey or poll, give students a quiz, or collect other information in an easy, streamlined way with Google Forms. You can create a form from Google Drive or from an existing spreadsheet that can record the responses to your form.

Ways to Use Google Forms

Administer Formative/Summative Assessments:

Use Google Forms to give your students a pre-assessment at the beginning of class. Modify your instruction based on the results. Then give students an 'exit ticket' at the end of the class to see what they learned.

Survey Students/Parents/Colleagues:

Survey students, parents, or colleagues to gather information for many

Collect Observation Feedback:

Use Forms on your smartphone or tablet to do teacher or student observations. The data will automatically populate in a spreadsheet

Reading Records Online:

Encourage students to read by having them complete their reading records electronically

Track Discipline Referrals:

Keep track of discipline referrals across a school. Recognize discipline patterns and share with key stakeholders

Google Classroom

Use Classroom to review assignments, give grades and feedback in real time (Teachers can see how many students have completed an assignment, review it, then provide grades and comments to students)

Google Classroom (http://classroom.google.com) is available to schools with a Google Apps for Education (GAfE) domain. Classroom is a way to get all of your students in one place and allows you to easily assign work and for students to turn it in.

Sharing Resources: Google Classroom allows you to take a document, video or link and push it out to your students.

Create a Lesson: More than simply assigning work to students, Google Classroom allows you to build an assignment. Include a description and attach multiple documents, links and videos. This puts the entire lesson in one place.

Make Class Announcements: Google Classroom gives you a place to post your announcements. Unlike a website with one way communication, students can comment back on the announcement.

Go Paperless: Using Google Docs you no longer need to collect and pass out paper. You can assign students a blank Google Doc or use a template that your students will fill out. Google Classroom creates a copy for each student and gives them a turn in button for when they are done.

Simplify the Turn In Process: When using Google Documents, notoriously students forget to change the sharing settings or to turn in their work. Google Classroom eliminates this issue by placing the document in the teacher and the students Google Drive immediately. Students simply need to “turn in” within Google Classroom to signal the teacher they are ready to have their work assessed.

Protect Privacy: Rather than creating a global folder shared with all of the students in the class, Google Classroom restricts access to the documents to the teacher and the individual student.

Reduce Cheating: Since the entire classes documents are not in a shared folder the temptation to copy another students work is eliminated.

Classroom Collaboration: When sharing a document the teacher is able to choose if the students can view the document or can edit it. Creating a document and giving all the students in the class editing access to that same document allows every student to contribute their piece to a class project.

Create a Discussion: A spreadsheet can be utilized to collect student opinions on a discussion topic. The ability to have multiple tabs allows for multiple discussion questions. Sharing a single Google spreadsheet with student editing access gets everyone on the same page quickly and gives every student a voice in the discussion.

Organize Assignments with Due Dates: In creating an assignment in Google Classroom you are able to assign a due date that is clear for both you and the students.

Capture the Middle of the Process: An important shift in the teacher student relationship is to get away from evaluator and focus on being a coach to your students. Google Classroom places all of the students work into a folder that is easily accessible from your Google Drive. While students are in the middle of working on their assignment you are able to go in and insert comments and guide them through the process.

Email Students: No longer do you need to create a group of student email addresses, Google Classroom allows you to email everyone at once.

Notify Students Who May Need Help: Google Classroom show you who has and has not completed an assignment. Send an email notification providing tips for success and encouraging the student to work on the assignment.

Assignment Q&A: When an assignment is posted to Google Classroom the students have the ability to comment on it. No longer do students have to wait to be called on to ask a question. This transcends the walls of the classroom to allow students to ask questions outside of class. When the teacher posts the response it is available to all of the students.

Create an Ad Hoc Playlist: Google Classroom allows you to attach multiple YouTube videos to an announcement or assignment.

Email Feedback: When returning work to students you can provide a global note to all the students or individually provide feedback. Google Classroom provides the ability to post a note to the assignment from the teacher, and allow the student to comment back. This replaces the one sided note in the margin of the students paper, providing a more dynamic experience.

Create Folders: What was once a cumbersome process in Google Drive is now done automatically. The teacher has a folder in Google Drive that contains a folder for each assignment. This makes locating student work a snap!

Link Directly: While Google Classroom places the student work into a folder for the teacher to find, a student list with a link to the students work is easily accessible directly from Google Classroom. This reduces the need of the teacher to dig through their Google Drive to find the work a student has completed.

Multiple Files in an Assignment: Google Classroom allows you to assign more than a single document. This means students can create a multi-stage project and submit all of their pieces in one place.

Easily View Student Submission: Google Classroom clearly counts how many students have and have not submitted an assignment.

Google Drawings

What is Google Drawings?

Add some color to your documents, presentations, and websites with easy to create charts and diagrams. It allows users to collaborate and work together in real time to create flowcharts, organizational charts, website wireframes, mind maps, concept maps, and other types of diagrams.